h 


CPVV  JU' 

'icW- - 


.92> 


(21 


3, 


,  Z'. 


'^BRIEF  HISTORY 

OF  THE  I  'll  I 

WOMAN’S 
BOARD  OF 
MISSIONS 

OF  THE 

CUMBERLAND 

PRESBYTERIAN 

CHURCH 


1880-1924 


BY 

MRS.  JOHNIE  MASSEY  CLAY 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY 

OF  THE 

WOMAN’S  BOARD  OF 
MISSIONS 

OF  THE 

CUMBERLAND  PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH 

BY 

MRS.  JOHNIE  MASSEY  CLAY 


The  Woman’s  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Cum¬ 
berland  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  at 
Evansville,  Ind.,  in  1880.  Up  to  that  time  the 
Assembly’s  Board  of  Missions  was  the  only  Board 
of  the  Church  sending  out  foreign  missionaries. 
Under  that  Board  Rev.  and  Mrs.  A.  D.  Hail  were 
sent  as  missionaries  to  Japan.  Struggling  against 
inadequate  funds — alas,  how  strange,  there  has 
always  been  inadequate  funds  for  this  great  work 
— and  learning  through  other  missionaries  on  the 
field  that  the  women  of  their  denominations  back 
home  were  organized  to  raise  funds  and  pray  for 
missions.  Rev.  Hail  wrote  to  those  at  the  head 
of  our  Assembly  at  that  time  and  pled  that  our 
women  be  also  organized  in  behalf  of  the  great 
cause  of  missions  so  that  our  Church  could  do  a 
larger  missionary  work. 

The  letters  were  received.  Our  leaders  must 
have  felt  the  just  claim,  and  Divine,  in  that  Mace¬ 
donian  call,  for  they  sent  out  a  call  for  Cumber- 


land  Women  to  assemble  at  Evansville,  Ind., 
May  25,  1880,  in  conjunction  with  the  Assembly’s 
Board  of  Missions.  About  seventy-five  women 
came,  and  the  Woman’s  Board  of  Missions  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized. 

One  can  well  imagine  there  was  rejoicing  in 
heaven  that  day,  for  the  angels  knew  that  the 
work  that  day  put  in  motion  would  record  the 
birth  of  thousands  of  souls  into  the  kindgom  of 
Christ  as  the  years  went  by. 

And  one  can  well  imagine,  also,  with  what  a 
feeling  of  awe,  and  with  what  trembling  fear 
these  early  women  thrust  their  shoulders  under 
this  sacred  load  they  were  so  unaccustomed  to 
carrying,  and  how,  in  their  fear  and  inexperience, 
they  must  have  called  mightily  on  God  to  lead 
them  every  step  of  the  way  they  must  go. 

And  one  can  imagine  how  loyally  those  noble 
men,  who  were  the  human  instruments  in  God’s 
hands  in  bringing  into  being  this  young  organiza¬ 
tion,  stood  back  of  them  in  prayer  and  co-opera¬ 
tion,  making  the  way  as  easy  as  possible  for  their 
untried  feet  as  they  went  out  over  the  Church, 
through  its  unopened  paths,  to  introduce  to  unin¬ 
formed,  timid  women  the  great  need  and  worth¬ 
whileness  of  this  work  of  which  they  knew  so 
little. 

The  first  officers  were  as  follows: 

Mrs.  R.  B.  Ruston,  President. 

Mrs.  W.  F.  Nisbet,  Vice-President. 

Mrs.  W.  J.  Darby,  Recording  Secretary. 

Mrs.  D.  S.  Ragon,  Corresponding  Secretary. 

Mrs.  N.  A.  Lyon,  Treasurer. 

Mr.  Alvah  Johnson,  Auditor. 

This  new  Board,  during  the  whole  of  the  first 
year,  held  two  all-day  sessions  each  month  for 
prayer  and  planning,  but  chiefly  for  prayer, 
“that  the  Lord  would  lay  His  hand  on  at  least 
two  young  women  who  would  answer  the  call  to 
the  foreign  field.” 

It  is  with  no  feeling  of  surprise  that  we  re¬ 
cord  that  God  answered  those  prayers — God  al¬ 
ways  does  when  we  lay  hold  of  Him  like  that. 


At  the  end  of  the  year  a  Miss  Orr  and  a  Miss 
Leavitt  offered  themselves  and  were  accepted  for 
foreiem  service,  and  it  was  found  that  the  new 
Board  had  gathered  unto  itself  NINETY-NINE 
CONTRIBUTING  AUXILIARIES,  and  an  offer¬ 
ing  of  $2,013.68.  How  wonderfully,  above  all  they 
asked  or  expected,  had  God  answered  their  pray¬ 
ers! 

The  years  passed.  God  laid  His  hand  on  these 
women  and  blessed  them  and  the  labors  of  their 
hands.  Whatever  else  has  happened  we  would 
not  rob  them  of  the  glory  of  His  leadership  ^d 
blessing  during  the  years  of  humble,  prayerful 
service  which  followed,  nor  fail  to  record  our 
gratitude.  Many  Auxiliaries  were  formed,  and 
many  Children’s  Bands.  All  over  the  Church 
they  sprang  up  from  nothing  into  splendid,  fruit¬ 
bearing  vines.  A  number  of  missionaries  were 
sent  to  the  field.  Many  souls  were  saved.  Offer¬ 
ing's  gradually  increased,  until  in  1906  the  total 
annual  receipts  amounted  to  $52,006.18.  In  the 
mean  time  our  Mrs.  Mattie  Ashbum  and  Mrs. 
Mary  M.  Graf,  of  the  present  Woman’s  Board, 
had  been  made  members  of  the  then  acting 
Board. 

But  in  May,  1906,  all  our  leaders,  save  the 
two  mentioned  above,  went  out  from  us  i^t® 
fields  that  seemed  larger,  and  the  Woman  s  Mis¬ 
sionary  Organization  of  the  Cumberland  Presby¬ 
terian  Church  stood  shattered  and  broken,  the 
result  of  certain  experiences  in  our  Church  his¬ 
tory  too  well  known  to  need  reviewing.  We  had 
no  Woman’s  Board — no  treasury,  no  Board  books, 
no  plans,  no  literature,  and  only  one  active  mis¬ 
sionary,  Rev.  Gam  Sing  Quah,  and  one  mission¬ 
ary  in  training.  Miss  Sallie  Herbert,  left  to  us. 
There  were  but  few  organized  or  officered  byn¬ 
ods  or  Presb3d;eries  remaining,  and  no  known 
membership.  Indeed  all  seemed  hopeless  chaos. 
Reference  is  made  to  this,  not  to  stir  up  old 
memories  or  arouse  old  feelings,  but  only  as  a 
starting  point  from  which  we  arrive  at  the  pro¬ 
gress  made  since  then. 

In  the  fall  of  1906  steps  were  tafen  toward 
the  reorganization  of  the  W omaii  s  Board.  In 


December  a  temporary  Board  was  appointed  as 
follows,  to  serve  till  the  meeting  of  the  Woman’s 
Convention  in  May  following:  Mrs.  Mattie  Ash- 
buiTi,  President,  Mrs.  Sarah  L.  Jordan,  Vice- 
President;  Mrs.  Tillie  M.  Stone,  Eecording  Sec¬ 
retary;  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Graf,  Corresponding  Sec¬ 
retary-Treasurer;  Mrs.  Anna  M.  Conn,  Mrs. 
Frances  Varner,  Mrs.  Lydia  E.  Tupman.  On  the 
following  May  at  the  Woman’s  Convention  at 
Dickson,  Tenn.,  these  members,  together  with  Mrs. 
Ella  H.  Goodnight  and  Mrs.  Johnie  Massey  Clay, 
were  made  the  permanent  Board  for  that  Con¬ 
vention  Year. 

Since  that  time  there  have  been  a  number  of 
changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  Board,  occasioned 
by  death  or  resignation.  But  four  of  the  mem¬ 
bers  elected  in  that  first  meeting  at  Dickson,  Ten¬ 
nessee,  are  still  serving  in  that  capacity,  these 
being,  Mrs.  Mattie  Ashburn,  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Graf, 
Mrs.  Tillie  M.  Stone,  Mrs.  Johnie  Massey  Clay. 

The  present  membership  of  the  Board  is  as 
follows: 

Mrs.  Mattie  Ashburn,  President  Emeritus. 

Mrs.  Johnie  Massey  Clay,  President. 

Mrs.  Frances  C.  Langley,  First  Vice-President. 

Mrs.  Gertrude  Schulz,  Second  Vice-President. 

Mrs.  Tillie  M.  Stone,  Eecording  Secretary. 

Mrs.  Mary  M.  Graf,  Corresponding  Secretary- 
Treasurer. 

Mrs.  Daisy  Bray  Freeman,  Tithing  Secretary. 

Miss  Mattie  Huber,  Seci'etary  of  Literature  and 
Extension. 

Miss  Helen  Bradford. 

Today  the  work  of  the  Woman’s  Board  of  Mis¬ 
sions,  now  one  of  the  active  Boards  of  the  Church, 
fully  officered,  with  splendid  offices  that  would 
be  a  credit  to  most  any  organization  or  denom¬ 
ination,  established  in  Evansville,  Ind.,  is  func¬ 
tioning,  more  or  less,  in  every  Synod  of  the 
Church  and  most  of  the  Presbyteries.  Alabama, 
Illinois,  Indianola,  Kentucky,  Missouri,  Mississip¬ 
pi,  Tennessee,  West  Tennessee,  and  Texas  Syn¬ 
ods  are  fully  organized  and  officered,  and  ac¬ 
tive.  In  the  other  Synods,  more  or  less  of  the 


Presbyteries  are  organized  and  officered,  serving 
as  a  nucleus  around  which  to  build. 

When  we  came  together  in  our  Woman’s  Con¬ 
vention  in  Dickson,  Tenn.,  in  1907,  it  was  found  the 
total  sum  contributed  to  our  Woman’s  Work  since 
the  exodus  was  only  $569.00.  Our  books  show 
a  total  offering  amounting  to  $55,500.43  contrib¬ 
uted  during  Convention  Year  1920-21,  $36,274.36 
of  it  toward  the  building  fund  for  our  two  new 
Missions.  Our  total  offerings  in  1922-23  amount¬ 
ed  to  $29,734.98.  Our  Treasurer’s  annual  state¬ 
ment  made  May  23,  1923,  shows  that  since  1906 
the  Woman’s  Board  has  accumulated  in  cash, 
bills  receivable  and  properties,  a  net  cash  worth 
of  $108,532.92,  which  does  not  include  certain 
properties  in  China  for  which  we  have  not  the 
deeds  in  our  possession,  and  which  have  been 
acquired  largely  by  the  Chinese  themselves. 

That  first  year  at  Dickson  we  were  an  organ¬ 
ization  without  a  specific  work.  At  that  Conven¬ 
tion  the  Woman’s  Board  was  asked  to  share  with 
the  Assembly’s  Board  of  Missions  in  the  expense 
of  maintaining  the  San  Francisco  Chinese  Mis¬ 
sion,  Even  this  was  a  large  task  for  us  with 
only  $569.00  in  the  treasury,  and  Convention  ex¬ 
penses  to  be  taken  out  of  this.  But  we  thank¬ 
fully  accepted  the  responsibility.  The  next  year 
the  Woman’s  Board  assumed  the  full  responsibil¬ 
ity  of  that  Mission,  then  a  very  small  struggling 
institution. 

Today  the  Woman’s  Missionary  Work  is  sus¬ 
taining  the  San  Francisco  Mission,  now  large, 
vigorous,  inspiring,  requiring  the  services  of  four 
workers  and  pleading  for  more;  with  a  Chinese 
church  membership  of  110,  and  an  enrollment  of 
98  in  the  Sunday  School;  also  eight  Missions  in 
China  as  follows:  Canton,  Sha  Kai,  Honam,  Ti 
Won,  Shekki,  Tong  Gaw,  Rickisha  and  Shek  Won. 
Our  reports  show  1,824  baptized  Church  members 
brought  to  Christ  through  the  instrumentality  of 
these  Missions  in  China,  and  an  enrollment  of 
1,024  in  the  Sunday  Schools.  Oh,  how  we  rejoice 
and  thank  God  for  this  harvest  of  souls,  and 
these  hundreds  under  Christian  influence  in  the 
Sunday  Schools!  The  total  number  of  workers 


now  sustained  by  the  Woman’s  Board  is  30.  This 
includes  missionaries  and  office  force.  Besides 
these  there  are  seven  self-supporting  workers  giv¬ 
ing  of  time  and  self  freely  on  our  China  field. 

Aside  from  the  maintenance  of  the  work  above 
mentioned,  the  Woman’s  Work  of  the  Church  has 
experienced  another  great  privilege  and  service. 
During  these  years,  a  total  of  $13,377.74  has 
been  contributed  to  Home  Mission  Work  and 
Church  Extension.  Though  this  sum  is  not  large, 
every  Synod  in  the  Church  has  shared  in  its 
benefits,  this  sum  having  been  contributed  toward 
church  buildings,  pastors’  salaries  in  weak 
churches,  Presbyterial  and  Synodic  field  men,  and 
other  such  purposes,  which  stood  for  the  rebuild¬ 
ing  and  strengthening  of  our  own  beloved  Church. 

We  have  established  an  Educational  Fund  for 
the  education  of  missionary  candidates,  which 
seeks  to  provide  for  splendid  and  trained  equip¬ 
ment  for  service  with  a  view  to  placing  our  Mis¬ 
sions  on  a  standard  second  to  none.  And  from 
now  on  it  is  the  purpose  and  plan  of  the  work 
to  require  as  nearly  as  possible,  that  every  Amer¬ 
ican  worker  shall  be  equipped  by  special  train¬ 
ing  for  his  or  her  task. 

We  have  launched  a  special  effort  and  plan  of 
teaching  Missions  in  the  Sunday  School,  the 
prayer  and  purpose  of  which  is  that  we  grow 
into  a  great  Missionary  Church  by  planting  mis¬ 
sions  in  the  heart  of  the  young. 

Through  this  effort  missions  is  now,  more  or 
less,  systematically  taught  in  239  Sunday  Schools, 
and  last  year  brought  in  an  offering  of  $1,974.59 
for  missions,  which  would  never  have  reached 
this  great  Cause  save  for  this  specific  effort  in 
the  Sunday  Schools,  nor  would  these  thousands  of 
young  people  have  had  the  joy  of  giving,  nor  the 
enlarged  vision  this  effort  has  produced. 

We  have  launched  a  Mother’s  Memorial  Move¬ 
ment,  in  honor  of  and  to  the  memory  of  Cumber¬ 
land  Presb3rterian  Mothers.  This  Movement  pro¬ 
duces  a  fund  with  which  we  educate  our  young 
ministers  in  China;  also  Chinese  women  for 


Presbyteries  are  organized  and  officered,  serving 
as  a  nucleus  around  which  to  build. 

When  we  came  together  in  our  Woman’s  Con¬ 
vention  in  Dickson,  Tenn.,  in  1907,  it  was  found  the 
total  sum  contributed  to  our  Woman’s  Work  since 
the  exodus  was  only  $569.00.  Our  books  show 
a  total  offering  amounting  to  $55,500.43  contrib¬ 
uted  during  Convention  Year  1920-21,  $36,274.36 
of.  it.  toward  the  building  fund  for  our  two  new 
Missions.  Our  total  offerings  in  1922-23  amount¬ 
ed  to  $29,734.98.  Our  Treasurer’s  annual  state¬ 
ment  made  May  23,  1923,  shows  that  since  1906 
the  Woman’s  Board  has  accumulated  in  cash, 
bills  receivable  and  properties,  a  net  cash  worth 
of  $108,532.92,  which  does  not  include  certain 
properties  in  China  for  which  we  have  not  the 
deeds  in  our  possession,  and  which  have  been 
acquired  largely  by  the  Chinese  themselves. 

That  first  year  at  Dickson  we  were  an  organ¬ 
ization  without  a  specific  work.  At  that  Conven¬ 
tion  the  Woman’s  Board  was  asked  to  share  with 
the  Assembly’s  Board  of  Missions  in  the  expense 
of  maintaining  the  San  Francisco  Chinese  Mis¬ 
sion.  Even  this  was  a  large  task  for  us  with 
only  $569.00  in  the  treasury,  and  Convention  ex¬ 
penses  to  be  taken  out  of  this.  But  we  thank¬ 
fully  accepted  the  responsibility.  The  next  year 
the  Woman’s  Board  assumed  the  full  responsibil¬ 
ity  of  that  Mission,  then  a  very  small  struggling 
institution. 

Today  the  Woman’s  Missionary  Work  is  sus¬ 
taining  the  San  Francisco  Mission,  now  large, 
vigorous,  inspiring,  requiring  the  services  of  four 
workers  and  pleading  for  more;  with  a  Chinese 
church  membership  of  110,  and  an  enrollment  of 
98  in  the  Sunday  School;  also  eight  Missions  in 
China  as  follows:  Canton,  Sha  Kai,  Honam,  Ti 
Won,  Shekki,  Tong  Gaw,  Rickisha  and  Shek  Won. 
Our  reports  show  1,824  baptized  Church  members 
brought  to  Christ  through  the  instrumentality  of 
these  Missions  in  China,  and  an  enrollment  of 
1,024  in  the  Sunday  Schools.  Oh,  how  we  rejoice 
and  thank  God  for  this  harvest  of  souls,  and 
these  hundreds  under  Christian  influence  in  the 
Sunday  Schools!  The  total  number  of  workers 


now  sustained  by  the  Woman’s  Board  is  30.  This 
includes  missionaries  and  office  force.  Besides 
these  there  are  seven  self-supporting  workers  giv¬ 
ing  of  time  and  self  freely  on  our  China  field. 

Aside  from  the  maintenance  of  the  work  above 
mentioned,  the  Woman’s  Work  of  the  Church  has 
experienced  another  great  privilege  and  service. 
During  these  years,  a  total  of  $13,877.74  has 
been  contributed  to  Home  Mission  Work  and 
Church  Extension.  Though  this  sum  is  not  large, 
every  Synod  in  the  Church  has  shared  in  its 
benefits,  this  sum  having  been  contributed  toward 
church  buildings,  pastors’  salaries  in  weak 
churches,  Presb^erial  and  Synodic  field  men,  and 
other  such  purposes,  which  stood  for  the  rebuild¬ 
ing  and  strengthening  of  our  own  beloved  Church. 

We  have  established  an  Educational  Fund  for 
the  education  of  missionary  candidates,  which 
seeks  to  provide  for  splendid  and  trained  equip¬ 
ment  for  service  with  a  view  to  placing  our  Mis¬ 
sions  on  a  standard  second  to  none.  And  from 
now  on  it  is  the  purpose  and  plan  of  the  work 
to  require  as  nearly  as  possible,  that  every  Amer¬ 
ican  worker  shall  be  equipped  by  special  train¬ 
ing  for  his  or  her  task. 

We  have  launched  a  special  effort  and  plan  of 
teaching  Missions  in  the  Sunday  School,  the 
prayer  and  purpose  of  which  is  that  we  grow 
into  a  great  Missionary  Church  by  planting  mis¬ 
sions  in  the  heart  of  the  young. 

Through  this  effort  missions  is  now,  more  or 
less,  systematically  taught  in  239  Sunday  Schools, 
and  last  year  brought  in  an  offering  of  $1,974.59 
for  missions,  which  would  never  have  reached 
this  great  Cause  save  for  this  specific  effort  in 
the  Sunday  Schools,  nor  would  these  thousands  of 
young  people  have  had  the  joy  of  giving,  nor  the 
enlarged  vision  this  effort  has  produced. 

We  have  launched  a  Mother’s  Memorial  Move¬ 
ment,  in  honor  of  and  to  the  memory  of  Cumber¬ 
land  Presbyterian  Mothers.  This  Movement  pro¬ 
duces  a  fund  with  which  we  educate  our  young- 
ministers  in  China;  also  Chinese  women  for 


teachers  and  leaders  in  our  China  Missions,  as  a 
monument  to  our  mothers. 

But  the  greatest  achievement  is  yet  to  be  re¬ 
lated.  In  1919-20  our  Woman’s  Board  felt  the 
pressure  of  the  Lord’s  hand  upon  us,  moving  us 
to  undertake  in  one  year,  a  task  we  had  felt 
inclined  to  believe  it  would  take  us  years  to  do — 
the  building  of  our  two  Missions,  one  in  San- 
Francisco,  the  other  in  Canton,  China.  Oppor¬ 
tunities  for  a  wonderful  work  awaited  us  in  both 
these  great  cities,  but  we  were  so  handicapped 
for  lack  of  room  and  suitable  buildings  it  was 
impossible  for  us  to  avail  ourselves  of  them.  It 
was  a  bold  undertaking,  but  a  great  and  glor¬ 
ious  task.  God  warmed  our  hearts  to  it.  He 
gave  us  courage  to  dare  and  do,  and  to  sacrifice. 
And  today,  our  new  Mission  building  in  San 
Francisco,  a  beautiful,  substantial,  three-story 
structure,  (or  two-story  and  a  basement),  buift 
at  a  cost  of  about  $31,000,  stands  as  a  monument 
to  our  faith  in  God  and  to  His  leadership.  Also, 
two  beautiful  buildings  in  China,  one  at  Canton, 
the  other  at  Honam,  built  at  a  cost,  including  cer¬ 
tain  lots,  of  $22,500  gold.  Words  fail  us  when  we 
would  express  our  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  our 
Lord  for  His  goodness  to  us! 

And  not  only  this:  With  money  contributed  by 
the  Memphis,  Tenn.,  church,  to  which  the  Chi¬ 
nese  added  considerable  more,  we  now  have  a 
new  Mission  building  at  Shekki.  Also  another 
at  Sha  Kai,  to  which  a  Chinese  merchant  contrib¬ 
uted  $1,000.00.  The  corner  stone  for  this  build¬ 
ing  was  laid  November  11,  1922.  At  Ti  Won  we 
have  a  splendid  building  with  a  seating  capacity 
of  400,  erected  mostly  by  the  Chinese  themselves, 
at  a  cost  of  $4,700.00,  Mexican,  and  dedicated 
January,  1915.  And  at  Tong  Gaw,  we  have  a 
good  Mission  building,  formerly  a  heathen  tem¬ 
ple  of  worship,  erected  at  an  enormous  cost,  and 
purchased  by  our  Chinese  Christians  a  few  years 
ago  and  dedicated  as  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Mission. 

And  during  the  time  these  things  have  been 
added  unto  us  through  the  goodness  and  the 
ever-present  leadership  of  our  Lord,  we  have  at- 


tained  a  growth  in  membership  and  Societies 
which,  though  not  what  it  should  be,  is,  neverthe¬ 
less,  a  growth  for  which  we  rejoice,  and  would 
not  fail  to  give  thanks  in  this  day  when  the 
hands  and  hearts  and  lives  of  women  are  drawn 
upon  by  such  a  multiplicity  of  calls.  Our  Or¬ 
ganization  now  enrolls  492  Women’s  and  Young 
Women’s  Societies,  and  71  Children’s  Bands,  with 
an  active  membership  of  6,065  and  1,165  honor¬ 
ary  members.  And  none  but  the  Heavenly  Fath¬ 
er  can  ever  know  the  burden  of  prayer,  the  agon¬ 
izing  effort,  the  anxiety,  the  persevering  faith 
represented  in  this  growth. 

We  tell  of  these  achievements  and  these  great 
blessings  which  God  is  heaping  upon  us,  not  in 
a  spirit  of  pride  and  vain  glory — far  from  it — 
but  in  a  spirit  of  humble  thanksgiving  that  our 
Lord  has  used  our  weak  hands  and  short  arms, 
and  counted  us  worthy  to  be  used  as  His  instru¬ 
ments  in  bringing  about  suck  results  for  His 
Kingdom.  And  we  tell  it  that  you,  dear  reader, 
may  know  what  we  are  doing,  and  that  God 
seems  to  be  stamping  our  efforts  with  His  ap¬ 
proval.  And  we  tell  it,  also,  that  you  may  know 
that  the  Woman’s  Work  of  the  Cumberland  Pres¬ 
byterian  Church  is  rapidly  growing  out  of  its  day 
of  small  things.  Indeed  we  will  soon  be  a  large 
work,  for,  just  in  proportion  as  our  facilities  for 
taking  care  of  our  opportunities  are  increased  by 
our  new  buildings  and  better  equipments,  just  in 
like  proportion  will  our  work  become  larger  and 
greater  by  reaching  more  people,  touching  more 
hearts,  and  lifting  more  souls  Christward. 

Indeed,  it  has  always  been  a  great  work.  It 
was  great  even  while  it  was  very  small — great, 
because  its  purpose  is  great,  and  ennobling,  and 
uplifting;  great,  because  it  represents  a  labor 
of  love  and  unselfish  Christian  service — asking 
nothing,  giving  all;  great,  because  God  is  in  it 
and  because  it  is  an  expression  of  His  will  toward 
all  mankind,  that  the  whole  world  shall  have  a 
knowledge  of  Christ  and  be  saved. 

And  now,  dear  Cumberland  Presb3d;erians,  this 
little  leaflet  is  placed  in  your  hand,  not  alone  to 
tell  you  what  our  Woman’s  Work  has  accom- 


plished,  and  is,  but  to  tell  you  that  we  need  YOU 
and  we  need  YOUR  CONTINUED  HELP.  We 
stand  at  the  door  of  your  heart  and  cry  to  YOU. 
HELP,  OH,  HELP  US  TAKE  CARE  OF  THIS 
GREAT  AND  GROWING  WORK - this  won¬ 

derful,  far-reaching  opportunity  God  has  given 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  of  teaching 
the  great  principles  of  our  faith,  and  of  lifting 
hungry  souls  out  of  their  heathen  darkness  into 
the  ennobling  presence  of  our  Christ. 

We  call  on  you  for  YOUR  HELP,  not  alone 
because  the  work  is  so  worthy,  and  because  it 
is  really  yours,  also,  since  you  are  a  Christian 
and  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian,  but  because  it 
is  rapidly  and  surely  outgrowing  our  present 
membership. 

Our  new  and  larger  Mission  in  San  Francisco 
has  opened  our  doors  to  many  new  opportunities 
there.  This  calls  for  more  workers  and  larger 
expenditures.  We  have  opened  a  new  Primary 
Department  in  this  Mission,  which  necessitated 
another  full-time  worker,  and  even  so,  our  mis¬ 
sionaries  there  have  their  hands,  as  well  as  their 
hearts,  full.  We  therefore  anticipate  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  another  worker  added  to  the  San  Francis¬ 
co  force  by  the  opening  of  our  next  school  year. 

We  face  the  same  situation  in  China.  Better 
buildings  and  equipment  mean  enlarged  oppor¬ 
tunities  and  growth.  We  would  not  have  it 
otherwise.  It  was  for  this  we  wanted  our  new 
buildings.  But  growth  calls  for  more  laborers. 
More  laborers  call  for  more  salaries. 

And  there  are  other  fields  we  should  enter. 
Other  phases  of  missionary  work  we  should  un¬ 
dertake,  and  all  the  enterprises  of  our  work  are 
calling  for  expansion,  and  our  present  member¬ 
ship,  though  they  long  to  do  so,  cannot  provide 
for  all  of  this. 

And  the  non-Christian  world,  dissatisfied,  and 
torn  from  their  old  beliefs  and  former  faith  in 
their  false  religions  as  in  no  other  time,  are 
restlessly  watching  for  some  other  faith —  or  re¬ 
ligion — to  take  the  place  of  that  in  which  they 
have  at  last  lost  confidence.  It  is  the  pivotal 
hour.  They  were  never  so  ready  as  now,  never 


so  eager  for  Western  knowledge,  nor  so  ready 
to  accept  America’s  God.  We  tremble  when  we 
think  that  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church 
may  not  reach  her  share  in  time,  or  that  some 
of  those  may  come  to  her  doors  in  vain. 

We  ask  YOUR  HELP — not  only  that  you  join 
our  ranks  as  a  contributing  member.  We  need 
your  offerings,  but  we  need,  even  more,  YOUR 
wisdom,  YOUR  prayers,  YOUR  presence,  YOUR 
encouragement.  We  plead  with  you  to  become 
REALLY  enlisted  and  in  harness  with  those  of 
your  denomination  who  are  humbly,  and  prayer¬ 
fully,  and,  yes,  imperfectly,  but  honestly,  and 
lovingly  bound  together  to  lift  up  Christ  as  Lord 
and  Saviour  before  the  eyes  of  non-Christian 
lands  as  well  as  our  own. 

We  ask  that  you  join  us  in  our  plans,  striv¬ 
ing  with  us  to  carry  them  forward  to  success; 
that  our  plans  become  your  plans;  that  you  study 
them,  and  put  them  into  execution;  that  you  join 
us  in  our  purpose  to  attain  to  certain  standards 
and  to  reach  certain  aims;  that  you  join  us  in 
our  growing  need  and  purpose  to  increase  our 
membership  and  offerings ;  and  above  all,  that  you 
join  us  in  our  prayer  that  God  will  continue  to 
hold  us  worthy  to  serve  Him  in  this  beautiful 
way,  and  continue  to  hold  us  by  the  hand  and 
lead  us. 

Do  this  in  the  name  of  and  for  the  sake  of  the 
Church  you  love. 

Do  this  in  the  name  of  and  for  the  sake  of 
humanity  of  which  you  were  once  an  unsaved 
part. 

But,  most  of  all.  do  this  for  the  Christ  Who 
was  sacrificed  for  THESE,  even  as  for  YOU.  “Go 
teach  them”,  said  Jesus,  “all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  taught  you,  and  lo,  I  go  with  you  all  the 
way.”  “If  you  love  me,  you  will  keep  my  com¬ 
mandments.”  “And  I  will  that  not  one  of 
THESE  shall  perish.” 

There  will  come  a  day  when  we  shall  meet 
Him  face  to  face  and  He  will  say:  “If  ye  did  it 
even  unto  the  least  of  THESE” — THESE  whom 
our  work  is  now  seeking  to  uplift — “ye  did  it 


unto  me.”  “But  if  ye  did  it  not  unto  THESE, 
ye  did  it  not  unto  me.” 

What  shall  the  answer  be? 

Behold  the  door  of  opportunity  is  THIS  DAY 
opened  unto  you! 


WOMAN’S  BOARD  OF  MISSIONS 
CUMBERLAND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 
EVANSVILLE,  INDIANA 


PRICE  6  CENTS 


January,  1924. 


